


Shefamigans

by HoneyToastie



Category: Original Work
Genre: Canon Gay Relationship, Canon Het Relationship, F/M, Family, Freeform, Gay Male Character, M/M, Original Character(s), Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, Original Fiction, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-07
Updated: 2019-02-07
Packaged: 2019-10-23 18:39:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17688773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HoneyToastie/pseuds/HoneyToastie
Summary: Sometimes family is found in those you least expect.After decades of solitude and aimless wandering, the ex-imaginary companion Cuervo, finds himself in the middle of a peculiar storm. One like no other he's ever experienced and that will change the meaning of his very existence. As he now faces a path of fateful encounters with other creatures of the supernatural and with the very thing he has grown to hate: humans.





	Shefamigans

**Author's Note:**

> This started as a drabble I did for fun for some Original characters but became something else entirely. I really don't know what else to say here besides I really hope that you all like the story and these children! This story will be ongoing but may update slowly because I have a bit of a hectic schedule. I've got a good few chapters beyond this written but not all of them have been re-proofed or beta'd yet. Just know that there is more to come as time permits!
> 
> Summary is courtesy of CicisArtandStuff! I would like to go ahead and state that all characters besides Cuervo and Cassidy belong to her as well! Go shower her page on instagram in love. You can find a lot of art of all of the shefamigans members there!
> 
> This was proof read by both myself and Cici as well as a beta reader. Have fun!

It was as if it were any other normal day. The sun pounded down onto the gently swaying tree line; the powdery dirt and even the silent figure that trekked through its unforgiving ray's. It was tall, dark, handsome, miserable and unnoticed to the surrounding croons of healthy wildlife. Long, black hair cascaded down the figure's bare back and draped over the neatly folded set of raven wings that hung from the man's shoulder blades. His dark tresses shrouded his tired, worn facial features while also remaining tucked away beneath a rather macabre crown adorned with long, oil slick feathers, aged and ever so slightly discolored gold pendants and an embellished crow skull.

And a crow was exactly what he was. Though not quite exactly, as he was a rather odd mix of human and bird. However human he may have looked from the waist up was offset by his particularly long legs. Coated in a layer of soft contour feathers all the way down to where his ankles would have been, his legs extended further with another length of flesh that supported his large avian feet. He carried on ever so slowly, his taloned claws lifting and craning his weight ever so gently as he walked with unconscious precision and care during each step he took with his tri-forked talons. His amethyst irises scanned the area, searching for a small and preferably unnoticed place to rest. His preference for somewhere out of the way from the mortals was purely habit as he could not be detected by normal humans . After all, he was nothing but the remnants of a little girl's wild imagination that had gone desperate for a companion and guardian.

But she was long gone now; it'd been decades- centuries maybe even, the man was not sure the exact number. But whatever the number was approximately, he’d spent that time wandering and coping with his lack of purpose. He'd wonder if things could have been different; how and why he was able to keep his place on this earth without the very thing that had put him here. His thoughts seemed to be on an unending loop day in and day out. He teetered softly, allowing his legs to take him nowhere along with the drifting thoughts that trudged through his mind. He and his musings alike, nearly unaffected by the external world so it didn't matter much if he got lost in his internal ramblings.

With the exception of the occasional cloud that cast a shadow upon the sun above, he paid little to no attention to the world around him. He was not quite sad nor was he exactly happy. He was just here. Numb would be a good word to describe his present state of being; unaffected by external affairs, if there were any at all. There was no breeze to rustle his hair and regardless of the heat that the sun poured upon upon the atmosphere it reached everything except for him. Not that he particularly minded though. He much enjoyed his peace.

His thoughts drifted back to a place they often remained for long periods of time. Debating topics such as: how did he escape from this world of seclusion? Could he if he tried? How could he get out of this vicious cycle? The crow would cycle through these questions and theories for entire days if he allowed it. Today was different though. Today's drift in thought was short lived as the passing shadows above him became more and more constant until the area was eventually shrouded in a layer of clouds, granting the land forgiveness from the sweltering heat.

“Rain perhaps?” the man muttered under his breath, stopping and raising his unfazed amethyst gaze up to meet the graying atmosphere. His voice was a quiet lilt that smoothed out into a light, airy cadence. A soft crack of thunder echoed behind him, encouraging a softness to inhabit his eyes and loosen the stoic in his features.

“Rain indeed….” he crooned in a voice that was on the verge of silence, pleased with the discovery. Rain was his favorite thing. Well, it was ever since his little girl had passed away and left him to his own devices. The rain was gentle and the sound it made as it rattled the ground often deemed the feathered man nearly useless. In a way it reminded him of her. Especially when the sun remained and created a creamsicle effect through the light, playful precipitation. Soft and gentle, youthful and refreshing. Much like his late human, rain was the only thing that could pull him from his unending cycle of thoughts and grant him the rare blessing of sleep…. And oh, how he loved it.

He loved it much to the contrary of those who despised the disappearance of their precious sun and blue sky. The rain was almost like an actual creature with a personality. Sometimes it was soft, sometimes it was hard, sometimes it was heavy and sideways, sometimes it was but a mist….. it was as if the world was expressing itself in ways that it usually did not. It was in a way reminiscent of how he came to be as well. After all, as a creature constructed with the pure freedom of imagination, he too was but an alternative form of expression. Perhaps that was why he held so much value in the occasion, the crow pondered to himself. Interesting.

The trickling sound of pitter patter began to slowly engulf the area as tiny darkened circles in the dirt began to surround him. The man made no effort to hurry out of the weather. There was no point. It didn't reach him even though he was there, as with everything else around him. The creature continued with a little more spirit now that the pitter patter began to run out the healthy sounds of the forest ecosystem. The soft hum that began to rattle the terrain began to drown out the cycle of thoughts that coursed through him as well. His focus began to shift almost entirely to the ever so small drop in temperature and the massage-like sound. Numbness began to transition into peace and the curves of his lips began to arch in response to the distraction.

_Plip._

_Plip._

_Plip._

He stopped. A coolness had begun to settle upon him as if it were a quilt being placed over a slumbering child. Lowering his gaze down to his hand, fine brows arched up in curiosity. His hand lifted and opened palm-up toward the weeping sky. The crow stared at it for a long moment as he began inspecting the darkened folds of his palm and the course avian scaling that ran over the exterior of his knuckles.

 _Plip_.

Taking in a silent breathe, the man held it for a moment as his gaze transfixed on his charcoal clawed hand as a small bubble of moisture landed there at its center. And then there was another.

 _Plip_.

Tiny little explosions of shimmering dew spotted his hand now, bringing with it cool, wet kisses. He exhaled finally, though shakily. Eyes widening, the avian creature could do nothing but stare. His steeled, empty expression that made hard lines on his face shifted from shock into a look of solitude as his eyes closed. His body relaxed, wings drooping lower to the ground from their careful perch against his shoulder blades. His shoulders followed suit after the feathered appendages and went slack as his raised hand dropped back to his side. The man lifted his head, craning it up to face the sky as he allowed the now infinite drops of rain to pitter along him, engulfing his face, shoulders, taloned feet, wings, everything. The showers consumed everything and for the first time that “everything” was inclusive to him.

He could touch it. This rain was touching _him_. For the first time since his time with his human, he was able to have contact with something. And though the discovery was monumental, he was somehow able to keep his composure while he allowed himself to be consumed in the cool showers. He was speechless. A small light-headedness was creeping into his consciousness and at this time, the crow was beginning to understand that he had forgotten to breathe. Inhaling softly, he slowly opened his orchid hues to make eye contact with the weeping clouds. Cold drops fluttered along his cheeks and he exhaled. His long, raven hair was beginning to stick to his face and paste itself to the curvature of his neck and back.

It was so different. So refreshing. He had always envisioned what rain would feel like in his mind and that image was certainly nothing close to what he was experiencing now. It was much, much better than his initial expectation. He sighed again. To be held by the caresses of the world for the first time was something he had always dreamt of and marvelled. And now that it was finally happening, he couldn't quite wrap his mind around the idea that in some way he was actually a part of this place. To be able to be in contact with something, with anything…. It was truly nothing short of incredible.

He had to remind himself to breathe again.

For the first time in decades,centuries even, he felt at peace. He could feel his uncertainty, his doubt, everything literally melting away with the light, feathery touches of the brewing storm. Not even the increasingly booming thunder could pull him from this spot right now.

He sighed quietly, the edges of his lips curving into a slight grin, “Cassidy, if that is you…. Thank you…..” he breathed out. He was immediately reminded of a gentle embrace and the crow could recall the sensation of the gentle gathering of the fabric that cloaked his knees as if a small human were there next to him still. His now wet clothing clung to his legs in a similar fashion to that of the embrace of small arms around his knees and it left him stunned, lost in serenity. It truly was as if Cassidy was in the rain. And that realization made this moment so much more special somehow.

His precious rain….

‘ _Cuervo!’_ he could hear the young voice call to him from the depths of his mind in excitement.

Cuervo. Yes. That was his name…. He'd nearly lost himself in the bliss of the rain and the reminiscent feelings of his old companionship.

 _‘Cuervo, look! It's your favorite!’_ the voice called again to him. His half grin faltered and broke to return to the tightly pulled crease in his stoic lips.

“Mm…” he hummed out, the vibrations of his low, smooth voice oscillated through his chest, “It is….” his voice was but a whisper now.

Cuervo stood there for a long while, not sure of how long he'd taken up that space. The bitter cold that came as a threat to the downpours did not affect him, in fact he welcomed it. Though, he did take it as a sign that he should move out of the rain and find cover. The weight of the soaked fabric that cradled his knees and thighs threatened to buckle under the water accumulated there. His sopping wet wings now hung heavy in a similar fashion to his waist cloth and would need a good and thorough preening. He sighed softly, disappointed that he had to leave.

It wasn't until that moment he felt something. It was subtle, fragile and curious, yet constant as it bore into his back like a small heat source. Cuervo opened his eyes, deep purple scanning the area immediately in front of him before he turned to look behind him as well. Nothing. He frowned slightly. Something didn't feel right…. He looked around still, his gaze lifting slightly to look into the tree tops and the rocky terraces of a small mountain about 100 meters from him.

And that was when he saw it. Something dipped away into the protecting shadows created by the rocks there. The feeling dissipated immediately, but his steeled gaze remained fixed on the cliffside. Cuervo stared for several moments to search for the source of this odd sensation before he turned around to continue with his previous goal of seeking shelter from this peculiar ran. As he began to head toward an area with much more tree cover, the ravenette found a small cavern that seemed to be a burrow for a bear or pack of wolves. He took slow steps toward the woods and as he did so, a new sensation began to work it's way around his body. The feeling of cool water under the tresses of his feet and between his forked , taloned toes and the squelch from his wet clothes as his feathered legs pushed them around with each step were the two that stood out the most. Though the rain felt nice, Cuervo wasn't sure he much enjoyed the feeling of maneuvering through dampened fabric. Heaving a heavy sigh, the crow pushed forward. He worked his way through clearings in the brush and treeline and noted the decrease in showers thanks to the cover from the branches above.

He pondered back to the strange feeling he had moments ago. It was almost as if he were being stared at; like a gaze was boring into his very being to try to figure him out. But, that simply wasn't possible. His existence was upon a different plane in this reality and the likelihood of him being noticed was next to nothing. Cuervo hesitated for a moment at this thought. Could he be completely certain that this was still true? If these showers had reached him then surely there was a possibility that other creatures and artifacts of this world could as well….

With narrowed eyes, the crow slowly sauntered toward a bush nearest him that was home to several flowers in the various stages of their blooming lives. He stood there in silence as he examined it, glancing between each bud as well as his own hand. He swallowed. Reaching his hand up toward one the wildflowers, the crow hesitated there. His opened palm arched, ready to caress the curves of the blossom. Cuervo's heartbeat picked up and began to pound through his ears. He scoffed quietly to himself. Why was he so nervous? If he was merely just a wandering spirit, or whatever he may be, then this test would end in no surprise. There would be only one way to find out. He swallowed again. Lifting his hand the rest on the way to cup the flower, he prepared himself for contact, for what this flower would feel like. He prepared for the cool remnants of the showers left on this foliage to brush his skin once more.

But there was nothing. His taloned fingers pushed through the leaves and petals as if they weren't truly there, as if _he_ weren't truly there. There was no sensation, no give or pull as if there were a breeze along it. Nothing. Cuervo gave a heavy exhale as he brought his palm back to himself to inspect it. After several beats, his gaze lifted back to the canopy of branches above him. The raindrops that leaked through the trees continued to sprinkle along his skin. “What is this rain?” he muttered to himself, brows furrowing as his concern began to fester within him. If nothing about him had changed, then why was this rain different? Was this truly a sign from Cassidy?

The odd feeling Cuervo had felt earlier was suddenly back and he stopped, drawing himself out of his suspicious musings to assess the area. He turned to look toward the cliffside of the mountain, a slight glare in his cold irises. First the rain and now this? What was it? Were they related? He was unsure of what this feeling embodied, but he knew he was not fond of it. It'd been too long since Cuervo had experienced any sort of emotion that came with this sort of premonition. He felt threatened.

Even though the ravenette felt an odd sense of danger, a timid aura remained. It took moments for his eyes to become trained on what appeared to be a figure. They had glued themselves to the side of a wall at yet another cavern opening, this time on the side of the mountain. He could barely make it out, but there was definitely a creature there. Could he be seen? Cuervo's stomach dropped at the thought. He steadied himself and remained under the merciful showers that shrouded him from above. He needed to be completely sure. The figure fluttered before flailing away into the shadows again which caused the stern crow to raise an eyebrow.

Could it be a bird….? But there were no birds the size of him or larger. Well, except for those found in desert regions, but he wasn’t anywhere near one of those. In fact, he was certain that he was probably the largest ‘bird’ to ‘exist' if he could allow himself to call his situation ‘living’ at all. This all must have been a mere coincidence…

Cuervo took a few steps away from the bush toward the cliffside now, eyes locked onto his target. A small tuft of hair peaked slowly from around the rock and the eyes of the creature; no, not a creature but a young man, met his own. However far away they were, they bubbled down at him, widened like saucers and glued to the exact spot that Cuervo inhabited. What was a person doing out here? How did they get all the way up there? And most importantly why were they looking right at him? The rain continued to pour, drenching the floors and allowing them to soak up the moisture to withhold until the next storm arose. The boy rose a little higher from his creeping perch, appearing to attempt to get a better glimpse at Cuervo. Brows knitting together at the raven's growing concern, he decided to slowly make his way to the nearby dug out at the base of an opposing landform.

His steeled amethyst orbs didn't break the stare the two shared, glaring ever so slightly at the slow confirmation of his visibility to the boy. The boy receded into the shadow only slightly but remained at an upright perch, curling his….. wings? Into himself as if to hide further. So, his suspicions were correct then. He _was_ visible. Unnerved by his discovery, Cuervo exhaled deeply and only continued to move with extreme caution. He noted the way the wings moved about the creature, piecing together bits of information as his angle of it changed with each step that was taken further into the woods.

Was it a harpy?

“It would explain the sudden storm…” Cuervo breathed out to answer his thoughts, lowering his face back to his hand temporarily, “ but how is it that this storm has affected me also? Perhaps these showers bring my presence into the light…?”

No, no….. that was not possible, he thought. It'd been a very long time since the dark shrouded male had seen a harpy after all but he did not recall anything peculiar about the showers that those of the past had brought. In addition to that, Cuervo could not recall even being noticed by anything of the past either, regardless of if they were humans or not. This was definitely worth investigating but it would have to wait until these showers ended and his clothes and feathers had dried before he presented himself to the creature.

 

\-----

 

Nightfall had washed over the area now and drove the rain away as it cascaded the land in it's cool darkness. The sounds of the wildlife had returned though only a few remained consistent with those from the daylight hours. Cuervo remained in the cover of the small cave he had nested in for the duration of the storm. His clothes had been long dry but the slick feathers on his back had taken their time in comparison. The preening that came afterwards too was quite tedious to boot, adding further to the prolonged idle period. Eventually, he glanced over his shoulder at the appendages and watched them as a small ruffle shivered along the layers of feathers. A soft shifting sound whispered through the near silent burrow as they moved. They were finally dry.

Standing slowly and bringing them back to nestle against his back once again, Cuervo took a few steps back into the humming woods. The area seemed as it were when he first entered the forested area. The only difference now was that there was no sun to simultaneously illuminate and drink up the soaked terrain. Lifting his gaze, he looked to where the opening on the side of the mountain gaped, shrouded entirely in darkness now. It appeared empty and as if no signs of life were present there. The crow gave his wings another quick ruffle before he was fully satisfied with their condition and in one fluid motion, the crow spread them out to prepare for flight.

A swift flap of them propelled him slightly off of the ground and a few more steady flutters that followed allowed him to maintain his height. With each oscillation, his elevation grew and in moments he was able to glide up and toward the cave’s entrance. In doing so, Cuervo took careful notice of the distance from the enclosure itself and the forest floor that spread below him. Now that he was level with the cave, he could see just how much the cavern was nearly secluded by a cluster of tree branches. It seemed strategic in a way. The harpy that seemed to be living here was definitely a creature of high intelligence and caution. The cave wasn't too high up the mountainside but was just enough so that it would seem impossible for any normal creature to get to. That is, if said life forms could even see the thing from below. Smart.

It'd been awhile since Cuervo had stretched his wings for flight. The breeze through his feathers was quite nice, he thought. Like the wind, the blood flow through the flexing muscles at the base of his wings also left the crow feeling a bit refreshed. He would have to remember to do this more, he noted as he touched down onto the cave's floor. His wings lowered with softer, much more gentle oscillations as he landed. They flicked themselves a few times before folding into soft, feathered masses that returned to their resting place neatly against his cascading hair.

His dark gaze looked around his new surroundings, brows narrowing into a slight squint to accommodate for the lack of the moonlight’s touch within the enclosure. Though dark, it appeared to be uninhabited. There were no belongings or signs of life within the cave, that he could make out at least, to be linked to a life form of any kind. It was almost as if nothing were residing there at all. Strange. Was this not a home then? Perhaps it was but a place to rest for the harpy much like the burrow that the crow had sought out earlier. Cuervo hadn't seen any sort of activity come from the cavern while he rested so there was no way that whatever was in here had slipped out on him unnoticed. Unless maybe this cave were deeper than what he was expecting?

A soft rustle deeper in the shadows immediately caught Cuervo’s attention. He looked up into the direction of the sound before taking slow,cautious steps toward it. With each step forward, he could make out the shape of a figure trembling as it pushed himself further and further back against the back wall of the enclosure. Huh. A timid harpy? That was new. He added it to the list of peculiar things that he had encountered that day. The whimper that escaped the young man as he was now face to face with Cuervo caught the crow a little off guard and enticed an arched brow from the larger of the two.

“You _can_ see me after all then….” Cuervo let out, arms crossing at his chest while his gaze remained fixed on the frightened boy. He wore short light hair in a color that Cuervo could not quite identify correctly due to the heavy cave shadows. His eyes widened up at the crow and trembled with the same fear that coursed along the harpy’s muscles. The harpy now hid himself under his own winged arms as if they were a blanket. Chuckling quietly for a moment before allowing himself to trickle back into silence, Cuervo released a heavy sigh.

“I do believe this is in fact a first for me, a frightened harpy. Usually your kind are quite ready to jump to protect your territory and yet you allowed me into your lair without any reservation.” Cuervo spoke, almost as if he were speaking to himself as he usually did. The man had never personally been attacked by harpies during his travels, but he'd seen the carnage unfold upon another trespassing victim that _was_ visible to them. The young man seemed to shift, glancing around the cave as if to search for a way around Cuervo. The moonlight bird could nearly feel the terror radiating off of the timid creature which caused a pang of guilt to pool in his gut. He took a small step backwards and watched as the other peeked out from around his feathered shield to take note of this.

“ I am not here to hurt you nor to take this place from you.” Cuervo spoke again, his tone even but somehow gentle. It was a tone of voice that he had not used in a very long time; one that he had only used with Cassidy.

He motioned boredly to the empty, dreary cave's interior with one hand before returning it to its crossed position at his chest. “ I have some questions for you,” he began again, taking care to tread gently with his words. The young man raised his brows to Cuervo in response. “How is it that you can see me?” he asked plainly, amethyst scanning the harpy once more, “ and how it is that the storm you created earlier was able to touch me?”

Silence. The harpy further peeked from around the ‘safety ‘ of his wings to look up to and size up Cuervo from where he remained curled in the corner of the rocky enclosure. Cuervo waited, unmoving and silent. Patience, he told himself. Patience was a game that he was quite good at. It was something that he’d only ever known as a game what with a little human girl growing up at his side. The raven had to adjust himself to the sporadic attentive mannerisms of a child from the very moment he was born. He and Cassidy had played many games together and many required seemingly unending use of this skill on his part. Not that the crow particularly minded, he rather didn't really. In fact, this allowed him to observe and learn quite a lot in the time he was expected to wait and watch in the company of his little girl.

He specifically recalled a time where he was sitting on a tiny pink chair that was much too small for his large 6 foot frame and much better suited for that of the small stuffed animals his human collected. She would instruct him of proper tea etiquette and though he had never had to use this set of manners ever since then, he still held close the rules and points she had emphasized to him. These moments represented very fond memories for Cuervo. Good posture,however, was the one detail he had practiced regularly actually.

The prolonged silence was broken by a flash from beyond the cave's entrance along with the deep hiss of a sudden downpour.

“You are that frightened?” Cuervo spoke, his voice leathery as it intonated up to form his question, “I'd be frightened of me too. I look quite like a depiction from that of a human horror movie.” He chuckled to himself again, this time laughing at his poor humor. He did indeed look like a villain. He'd seen plenty of them in the human movies that Cassidy often watched to know the basics. Though he was quite sure that that was part of the point for his creation: ‘to scare away the bad things’ Cassidy had often used to say. Another crack of lightning lit the sky behind him and the taller male was more than sure that the back lighting didn't do much justice to his cause.

Turning slightly to look out at the cascading rain, Cuervo was careful to not get too distracted by the enchanting lullaby it sang to him. It wasn't long before he turned to face the harpy again who remained bundled up on the floor before him. Maybe this all was just a coincidence after all. The young man more than likely had just as much of a lead as he did, which was nothing. Without any further questioning, Cuervo moved to sit just beyond the edge of the cave’s opening. A small pool of water had begun to gather there and danced with each heavy droplet that collided with it. Cuervo perched against the wall there, lowering himself to rest on the floor before reaching his hand out into the downpour.

The immediate cool and wet sensation encompassed the pads of his fingers and a visible sigh left him. It was just like earlier. So this seemed to be consistent then?

Interesting….

He began to allow the whisper of the drops take over his senses which called forth the bone wracking exhaustion that constantly plagued his being. He sighed again, content. This was how it always started. The call of the rain begging him to join it in its lullaby. Oh, and how easily it worked every single time never ceased to amaze him. But this time, it seemed much more effective than usual. Faster, even, for that matter.

It was because of the sensation of the rain paired with the humming tune, he was certain of it. His eyes fluttered once, the back of his head leaning back to rest against the wall now. Any second now….

Any second.

“You…. You like it?” a small voice called from the back of the cave, immediately pulling the tired crow from his drift and enticing a raised brow as he rolled his gaze to meet the harpy again. Cuervo had nearly forgotten about him. How foolish of him. “The-the rain… I mean…” came the timid tremor of a voice again.

“So you do speak after all then, hm?” he said, a predatory grin overtaking his pale lips. The harpy seemed to shy away again at the sudden address though nodded just barely enough for the crow to notice the motion in the pitch black. Cuervo could feel a familiar feeling buzz within him at the young man’s display.

 _‘Cuervo, I’m scared….’_ a soft whimper from a little girl echoed in his mind. An image of a girl clinging to her favorite bear, Sergeant Teddy, while burrowed in a sea of blankets was illuminated by a flash of lightning. A distant trickle of rain as it beat against a window filled the memory with a different sound that comforted the crow. He could feel the lurch in his chest of pity and the urge to act and protect bubble up from within him. The whole recollection was washed away from a throng of heavy thunder and a sudden jump from the young man at the back of the cave.

“Hm.” he brought his gaze back to the rain droplets with a low hum. It was a bit strange that this creature evoked similar reactions and emotions from him to those that he felt with Cassidy. The crow bit his lip for a moment, brows narrowing as he pondered over the similarities for a moment. The harpy seemed to visibly droop at Cuervo’s previous answer which left the darker bird sighing once more. He would have to revisit this later. The lightning scattered and crackled along the sky's horizon and Cuervo found himself staring again into the fuzzy abyss of cascading water.

“ I do…” The raven found himself answering after a few moments of silence. A shuffle sounded behind him again but he paid it no attention as he continued to focus on the feeling of hundreds of droplets colliding with his palm.This rain was different from the rain earlier as it began to create a near massage like affect, “ It feels nice…. I've never felt the rain before until today.”

Cuervo frowned. There was no need for him to disclose this sort of information to someone he did not know. Keep it simple, he told himself, there was no need for unnecessary chatter. After all, he was merely here for answers and answers only. He would leave in the morning after all of this was settled. The issue of how he was visible to this young man was no longer of importance to him. With zero answers, the ravenette had come to a final conclusion and chalked this all down to mere coincidence.

“I-if it makes you tired…. You shouldn't uhm…” the voice paused for a moment, words trickling along each syllable in extreme uncertainty, “ You shouldn't sleep so close to the edge. You'll get wet and…. The lightning might get you.”

A grin pulled a crossed the crows cheeks again as he relinquished a small, hearty laugh. How child like! “I am fine here. Your concern is a bit silly, don't you think?” the shuffle returned briefly and though Cuervo paid no attention to the boy still, he could imagine him curling into himself again.

“Oh,” A soft sound from the depths of the cave exhaled into the distance between the two birds. Cuervo sighed at this, the guilt that had anchored him down earlier had returned and he could feel the hard line of his lips pull along his jaw as he frowned deeply. He was being a bit harsh wasn't he? There was no need for that. He had manners. He knew how to respond to someone who was afraid. Know your purpose, you bird brain.

“It's scary” the voice replied, much smaller this time than the last. Be gentle, the raven's instincts told him though every other fiber of his being questioned why. The two didn't even know each other, there was no need to be so careful of his reactions if Cuervo had planned to leave in the morning anyway. This behavior wouldn't matter after he left. This harpy would be a mere memory for him in the distant future as he continued his wandering travels through the cityscapes and countrysides.

“The lightning is of no concern to me.” Cuervo repeated, though a bit more soft this time as he looked over his shoulder to meet his gaze with the harpy, “ I did say I liked it didn't I? It is relaxing. ” He could see the young man nod again to his response which left the dark bird feeling a bit more satisfied. Whether it was with the cooperation of the storm bringer or if it was because of the good mood that the rain was putting him into, he had no clue and oddly enough he didn't really care.

Nestling into the feathery pillow Cuervo's wings provided him as he leaned his back fully against the wall, he found his gaze on the ground now. The little ripples each drop made into the slightly growing pool of water soon encompassed his every thought. He felt warm even though the temperature that the squall brought was much cooler than that of the day's unforgiving heat. His eyes fluttered but remained open to watch the small ripples as if he would miss the rest of their show if he even blinked once more.

A comfortable weight began to anchor the crow there in that spot as his heavy lashes fluttered a few more times. His mind began to numb over with the call of the rain.

“You're the first to like it…..” the voice echoed through the crevices of the peace Cuervo had just found in his sleep ridden state. He didn't mind too much though. He oddly liked this harpy's voice too, he decided. It was gentle and fluid and it went well with the thrumming of the rain.

He was so tired…..

“Can…. Can I have your name?”the voice came once again, but it seemed closer this time. Intrigued but too tired to look and investigate, Cuervo remained drooped against his wall. “ I- I just want to know. Since.. y-you know... you're the first to like it…?”

He really was quite childlike wasn't he? How endearing. Maybe this uncertainty and lack of speaking skills were due to the sudden intrusion of a visitor. It could have been very possible that Cuervo was this young man's very first visitor. At this thought, Cuervo began to empathize with the young man. Because at this point, he had been the ravenette's first visitor in awhile too.

“Cuervo.” The near slumbering crow breathed out, “.... And yours?”

Though his eyes were closed, Cuervo didn't have to look to know the harpy squirmed where he sat, even if that was a little closer than it was before. He was certain the timid soul had probably worked up the little bit of courage needed to peel himself from the wall finally. Funny how easy it was for the boy if the crow didn't seem to broke paying much attention to him. There was no response again but Cuervo knew that it would come eventually after however long it would take for the little harpy to work up the courage to speak.

Like clockwork, Cuervo had nearly found his peace in his slumber but just as his mind had nearly succeeded in pulling him into the deep depths of its silent confines, the smaller bird would speak up.

“A-Aden….” was the only word that trickled into the tired crow's ears.

Patience…. It always paid off.

“Aden….?” Cuervo's leathery voice was much softer, laced with the potion of sleep, “…...Thank you, Aden… for the showers.” were the last words he heard himself breathe out before he lost himself to the lulling call of his treasured rain.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Please feel free to comment and leave suggestions! The feedback is always super appreciated!


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